Progress on women's rights is a matter of justice, equality, morality and common sense, says UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in an article on International Women's Day tomorrow, 8 March.
Indeed, he suggests that as we look to the future, sustainable and equitable recovery for all will be possible if it is a women's recovery that puts progress for girls and women at its heart.
In particular, he highlights the need for economic progress through targeted investment in women's education, employment, training and decent work.
Women must be at the forefront of the 400 million jobs we are called upon to create by 2030, he points out.
Antonio Guterres also highlights that we need more women in leadership positions in governments, in business. He adds that we need women Finance Ministers and CEOs who will develop and implement green and socially progressive policies for the benefit of all.
Continuing in the same vein, he says that having more women in parliaments is linked to stronger climate commitments and higher levels of investment in health care and education.
In this light, he stresses the need for political progress through targeted measures that ensure equitable leadership now and in the future. At the same time, however, girls and women are the first to lose their jobs or drop out of school, becoming more involved in unpaid care work, facing high levels of domestic and digital abuse and child marriage, he observes.
In addition, he says the pandemic has further underscored an age-old truth.
The roots of patriarchy run deep. We still live in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture, she explains, noting that as a result, in good times and bad, women are more likely to live in poverty, their health sacrificed, their education and opportunities limited.
Antonio Guterres makes special reference to women in countries that are in a state of war, such as Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Ukraine, noting that they are the most vulnerable.
In terms of UN initiatives, the UN Secretary General notes that we have achieved gender equality in senior management positions at our headquarters and around the world for the first time in the history of the Organization.
This, he notes, has dramatically increased our ability to express and represent the world we serve.
Concluding his article, Antonio Guterres expresses his belief that when the world invests in opportunities for women and girls, all of humanity wins.
Source: CNA
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